# Mead ?



## Bubba -NJ (Dec 6, 2005)

My questions to the jungle are - Is mead available commercially ? Whats it taste like ? All I know about it is that it's typically made from honey . Sounds interesting to me , possibly tasty too . Brand names would help if possible .


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## Kaisersozei (Feb 5, 2008)

The best mead I've had comes from a buddy of mine who brews his own. He makes a very sweet, still mead that tastes a little like a riesling that seems to simply dissolve on your tongue. Mmmmm... 

I've also found a few commercial varieties--Chaucer's makes a few decent inexpensive "vintages" as well as Mountain Meadows. You can also find a fruit or spice (e.g., ginger) mead, but I prefer the straight honey mead. If you have a Total Wine & More nearby, you can find some there.

Good luck, it's great stuff!


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## NCatron (Sep 7, 2005)

Most high-end liquor stores carry Mead, there was a mini-boom recently where mead suddenly increased in popularity. I'm not a huge fan myself, a little too sweet for my tastes, but you should definitely give it a try.


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## BigVito (Jan 1, 2000)

I used to make mead, really liked it, but I stopped and prefer 6grapes.
But mead can be bought, but like Kaisersozei home brewed is the best.


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## Gargoyle (Mar 2, 2008)

I don't remember any specific brands by name, but the advice mentioned above to go to your local wine store is probably your best bet. They should be able to point you in the right direction if they don't have anything already in stock.

I can't vouch for the quality of this site, but should you strike out at your local... take a look for some info on various kinds of mead:

http://www.honeywine.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=38

A word for warning. You can get by with a bottle of cheap wine... but cheap mead is like drinking vinegar.


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## okbrewer (Nov 26, 2007)

Your best source to try some mead might be a local homebrew club. Many home brewers make mead. Depending on where in NJ you are, you should be able to find a homebrew club near you. 

Many of the meads available in liquor stores are more like fortified wine. Again, depends on where you are located. In NY state there are several meaderies, some that do mail order. 

Redstone Meadery in CO makes some fine mead and also ships their product. 

Mead is considered the oldest fermented beverages. It is basically honey wine. In its simplest form it is just honey, water and yeast. Mead can be still or sparkling, sweet or not so sweet, and made with fruit or spices. 
It is very easy to make at home and you can make as little as one gallon. Out 3-4 pounds of honey per gallon in a plastice fermenter or glass carboy, fill up with water to the amount you want, add some wine yeast, shake or stir until the honey and water are blended and wait! (Very simplistic recipe) The hard part is waiting for it to ferment!

Bob R in OKC
mead maker, home brewer


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## BigVito (Jan 1, 2000)

here is a crazy idea, how bout y'all setup a trade?


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## Kaisersozei (Feb 5, 2008)

BigVito said:


> here is a crazy idea, how bout y'all setup a trade?


Great idea--soon as I can get my hands on some more mead, I'll offer it up!


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## Tripp (Nov 27, 2006)

I've always wanted to try mead. Most of the ABC stores around here carry a brand called Chaucer's I think it is.


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## BigVito (Jan 1, 2000)

Kaisersozei said:


> Great idea--soon as I can get my hands on some more mead, I'll offer it up!


:tu it will be interesting and fun to see people get to try something as old as Mead yet it will be new to them.


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## billybarue (Mar 20, 2006)

Trader Joes used to have some if a store is near you.

Interesting fact: Mead is a traditional gift for newlyweds as "Honey" was thought to promote fertility. That is where the "Honey" part of Honeymoon comes from.

FWIW


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## Bubba -NJ (Dec 6, 2005)

Kaisersozei said:


> The best mead I've had comes from a buddy of mine who brews his own. He makes a very sweet, still mead that tastes a little like a riesling that seems to simply dissolve on your tongue. Mmmmm...
> 
> I've also found a few commercial varieties--Chaucer's makes a few decent inexpensive "vintages" as well as Mountain Meadows. You can also find a fruit or spice (e.g., ginger) mead, but I prefer the straight honey mead. If you have a Total Wine & More nearby, you can find some there.
> 
> Good luck, it's great stuff!


Thanks for all the helpful replies . I do happen to have a Total Wine near by , next town over in Cherry Hill . I would love to do a trade for some Homebrewed Mead if anyone is willing . :tu


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## Ace$nyper (Aug 15, 2007)

I would love to find a good mead, I've only had it once and it was cheap junk from what i'm told tasted like yellow cough medicine but thicker


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## Cgarman (Dec 2, 2007)

Listen to Bob, He makes a killer mead. He let us sample some cracked pepper mead that he had made. Doesn't sound very good, but boy was it ever great stuff. The first taste was the sweetness of the honey. As you swallowed the mead the pepper burst up on the back of your throat. It did not become too hot, just this nice gentle warming on the back of the throat. A wonderful experience. Thanks Bob!


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## Bubba -NJ (Dec 6, 2005)

Total Wine only had 1 brand and 2 others that were spiced and one that was a mead style wine . I picked up the Lurgashall Winery English Mead . Says on the label to serve lightly chilled or over ice . Will the taste be affected if I drink cold like a beer ? There are a couple of other stores nearby that I'll try for different brands and they all have vast wine selections .


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## aracos (Mar 17, 2008)

As someone pointed out above, probably the best commercial meadery is Redstone out of Colorado. They are sold in a lot of stores across the US, if not ask for it... It blows away the Chaucers, Lagurshall, and most other commercial brands... 

But the best is still a good homebrewed Mead...


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## BigFrankMD (Aug 31, 2007)

They sell two brands of it at the store I go to. I think it's brewed locally. I'm not 100% sure about that. Its not the best but its maybe 7/10.


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## paperairplane (Nov 8, 2007)

Any I have ever had was syrupy sweet and cloying - not recommended. I think people drank mead until they figured out how to make something else.


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## Bubba -NJ (Dec 6, 2005)

Bubba -NJ said:


> Total Wine only had 1 brand and 2 others that were spiced and one that was a mead style wine . I picked up the Lurgashall Winery English Mead . Says on the label to serve lightly chilled or over ice . Will the taste be affected if I drink cold like a beer ? There are a couple of other stores nearby that I'll try for different brands and they all have vast wine selections .


I had a couple tastes and it seems sweet and vinegary , not real good but not gross either . I will hunt down another brand to try .


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## hoax (Aug 7, 2007)

Check out http://rabbitsfootmeadery.com/

They happen to be located just a few miles from my work. They have some of the best Mead in the country. Their top of the line Mead, Melia, is served at French Laundry.


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## rx2010 (Jan 4, 2007)

I would love to find some good mead, I tried the chaucers and it awas dickscusting


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## Mark C (Sep 19, 2007)

I went up to the Finger Lakes in NY last year for a winery tour. We stopped at one or two places that made mead, from what I recall it was all pretty good stuff. One of 'em specialized in mead, made all sorts of fruit meads, sweet mead, dry mead, etc. I'll see if I can find the name of the place.

Maybe I'll put this on my homebrew to-do list.


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## aracos (Mar 17, 2008)

rx2010 said:


> I would love to find some good mead, I tried the chaucers and it awas dickscusting


Look for Redstone, it comes in a blue bottle... 
Much much better than Chaucers...


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## Kaisersozei (Feb 5, 2008)

Mark C said:


> I went up to the Finger Lakes in NY last year for a winery tour. We stopped at one or two places that made mead, from what I recall it was all pretty good stuff. One of 'em specialized in mead, made all sorts of fruit meads, sweet mead, dry mead, etc. I'll see if I can find the name of the place.
> 
> Maybe I'll put this on my homebrew to-do list.


It's probably very similar to wine-making and much easier than beer brewing, as long as you can get an adequate quantity (something like 15 lbs?!) of honey.

I have some 4 year old & 6 year old bottles that I'll probably open sometime this winter. :dr I'd like to say that's a result of patience on my part, but it's more like that I forgot I had them.


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